Car-brake



v Patented lan. I7, |899. J. C. DEVLIN.

CAR BRAKE.

(Applieaeio med nu. s, 189s.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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Patented Ian. I7, |899. J. G. DEVLIN.

CAR BRAKE.

(Application lqd Mar. 8, 1898.) Y

2 Sheng-'Sheet 2.

(No Model.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. lDEV LIN, OF HERNANDO, MISSISSIPPI.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 617,722, dated January17,1899.

Application filed March 8,1898. Serial No. 673,043. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES O. DEVLIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hernando, in the county of De Soto and State of Mississippi,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

' slack must be taken up at each application of the brakes before anyretarding effect upon the wheels is secured.

The object of this invention is to provide devices whereby a positive orunyieldin g force may be applied by a single pull upon a brakeoperatinghandle, the ordinary slack required for passing curves being at alltimes taken u p automatically as soon and as fast as itis not needed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation. of mydevices in operative position, the car itself being indicated by itsiioor-line only. Fig. 2 shows on a larger scale the brake-operatinglever and its immediate connections seen as in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a viewfrom the right in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows in plan the ordinary leverconnections placed centrally beneath the car. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 areenlarged detail views showing sections at 5 5, 6 6, and 7 7,respectively, Fig. 1. Fig. 8 shows a slightly-modified detail. l As thetwo ends of the ear bear similar devices only those at one end areshown.

In the several figures, A represents the floor and platform of a car,I3A a lever centrally pivoted at C under the middle of the car, and D D'rod's connecting this lever with any ordinary or suitable devicescarrying brakeshoes in proximity to the wheels. At one end the lever Cis connected with my novel devices and at the other it is connected by arod E with similar devices at the opposite end of the car. To the carabove are bolted hangers F F'-, rigidly connected by a horizontal bar G,

Upon the roller H rests a horiprovided with a roller H3 immediatelybelow the bar. Upon the roller H restsl a bar K, which passes alsobetween the branches of the downwardly-bent end of the bar I and-has anupwardly-bent forked end K, loosely t ting the bar G and provided witha'roller H4,

which normally rides on the bar I. The lat# f ter bar is provided withprojections at L, and between these and the upturned split end of thebar K is a longl open coiled spring M, encircling the bar I andconstantly tending to force the bars I K in opposite directions.

Below the roller H3 the bar I is provided with teeth N, (shown as formedin the bend of the arm J,) and below these teeth'and upon the bar I isarack N', which extends to some distance to the left from the teeth N.

At its lower end the hanger F is provided with a short horizontal arm F2in the plane of the roller H2 and having an inclined end face F3. Theparts normally rest in or nearly in .the position shown in Fig. l, theroller H2 heilig upon the arm F2 and the roller Il3 being near the upperend of the incline G' and the teeth N being out of engagement with therack. If now the car pass around a curve,-4

slack is required, and thus the bar K is drawn toward the right, thelong spring M oiering only a moderate resistance to motion, afford-v ingample slack. Justin measure as the slack' is not needed it is taken upby the spring,

which always holds the entire apparatus taut,

whether or not the car is on'a curve.. .,If, on

the other liand, the brake is to be applied,

the bar I is drawn to the left, (by devices to be explained,) the springagain yielding, and

the .roller H3, passing along the incline, forces down the correspondingend ofthe bar I and engages the teeth N in the rack N', as it may IOO dosince the roller II2 has simultaneously passed oi its supporting-arm. Sofar as pull upon them is concerned, the two bars I K are temporarily oneand the force of traction transmitted is unyielding. The instant thebrake-applying force releases the bar Ithe spring M returns the parts tonormal position, the roller H2 passing up its incline and lifting theteeth N out of engagement and leaving the devices again ready forslack-giving or brake-applying movements.

The chain I passes from the bar I'around a pulley I2 and thence totraction devices upon t-he platform. These devices consist of a grooveddrum 0 which may be eccentric, as suggested in Fig. 8, mounted upon ashaft P and rotating with it, gear-wheels Q Q', fixed upon the sameshaft on opposite sides of the drum and engaging, respectively, inclinedracks R R', rigidly fixed to the platform, ratchet-wheels S S', fixedalso to the shaft and lying next the gears, respectively, an ordinaryclutch-lever T, pivoted on the shaft and bearing a double pawl U toengage the two ratchet-wheels, a double pawl Up', centrally pivoted tothe rack members and normally held out of engagement by overweightingits working end,`but capable of being thrown into engagement with thetwo ratchetwheels by pressure of the foot upon its opposite end, andrigid supports V V', preferably integral, respectively, with the rackmembers and provided with slots parallel to the racks to serve asbearings or guides for the shaft P. If this lever be pulled rearwardwhile the upper pawl is in engagement, the shaft P is rotated, windingthe chain upon the drum, to which it is fixed, and at the same ,j timerolling the gears up the inclined racks and liftingthe drum bodily aswell as moving it slightly to the right. If the parts be properlyproportioned and adj usted, one rearward sweep of the lever issufficient to engage the teeth N in the rack N- and allow the brakemanto exert his full power upon the brake. If `it is desired to hold thebrake-shoes upon the wheels without continuedeffort or if a second sweepof the lever is for any reason desired, the lower pawl is thrown intoengagement with the foot and reverse rotation of the shaftis prevented,while the lever is entirely free to swing forward and rengage theratchet-wheels.

Ifthe drum be eccentric, as suggested in Fig. 8, the chain will be drawnat first rapidly and then with less speed, but with greater force. Thischange and others analogous and Votherwise may obviously be y/madewithout passing beyond the limits of my invention, and I do nottherefore wish to limit myself to the exact construction set forth.

l. For transmitting the force of traction in brake-applying mechanism,two bars having eral direction as ths first and arranged to slide ylongitudinally toward and 'away from said devices, connections joiningthe second bar to other brake mechanism, a spring offering yieldingresistance t'o the sliding of the second bar away from said devices, andmeans whereby the movement of the first bar toward said devices locksthe two bars together,positively.

' 3. The combination with a drum mounted for rotation and bodily lateralmovement and provided with a rigidly-attached gear, of a fixed rackengaged by said gear, a pivoted power-applying lever, andpawl-and-ratchet mechanism transmitting the movement of the lever tosaid drum, substantially as set forth.

ff. In brake mechanism,.the combination with a bar provided with a rack,of a second bar overlapping the first and provided with a tooth forengaging said rack, means whereby the tooth is normally held out ofengagement, a spring tending to further overlap the bars and offeringyielding resistance to lessening such overlapping, and means wherebyproper relative movement of the first bar throws said tooth intoengagement.

5. The combination with the fixed slotted bearings and the adjacentracks, of the shaft mounted in said bearings, a drum, gears andratchet-wheels rotating together about the axis of said shaft while thegears engage the racks, the lever pivoted on said shaft and providedwith the pawl to engage the ratchetwheels, and the brake-operating cableWinding upon said drum.

IOO

6. The combination with the fixed slotted bearings and the adjacentracks, of the shaft mounted in said bearings, the eccentric drum, gearsand ratchetwheels rotating together about the axis ofthe shaft, thelever pivoted `on the shaft and provided with the pawl, the

IIO

foot-operated pawl below the shaft, and the cable winding upon said drumand connected with other brake mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES C. DEVLIN.

